The most perfect locomotive

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

I can reinforce, but not substantiate, both speed figures that you mention. 
In fact, both speed figures are the exact values that I have heard before 
for Class J locomotives.  I heard these speed figures first hand (but not 
quite from the iron horse's mouth).

When I worked at the N & W's Shaffers Crossing roundhouse in Roanoke, VA, 
one of the roundhouse foremen there told me that he was the Motive 
Department employee who had traveled with the Class J when it was tested on 
the Pennsylvania Railroad and that it reached a speed of 118 miles per hour 
across the flat Indiana countryside before a hot bearing caused a slow down 
or, maybe, a stop.

When I worked summers in the N & W's  steam locomotive shop at the end of 
the branch line to Durham, NC, one of the Norfolk Division engineers told me 
that he had run Class J locomotives at 110 miles per hour on the main line 
across the relatively flat Atlantic Coastal Plain.

Unfortunately, at a much younger age I did not realize then the importance 
of taking notes, so I cannot cite the names of these men who told me of 
their first-hand experiences.

Gordon Hamilton

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2006 11:42 PM
Subject: The most perfect locomotive



>I am a very unfrequent contributor to this respectable list.  I have a 

>serious admiration to N&W class J for following reasons:

>

> * best combination of drawbar and speed

> * reliability

> * operational efficiency

> * very beautiful

> * I am born in May 1950, the same date 611 came out of Roanoke factory

>

> I have heard records of the loco doing 118 mph with a few cars and steady 

> 110 mph with 15 pasenger cars.  This in unbeliaveble considering the tiny 

> 70" driving wheel diameter.  Is there anyone alive who can confirm these 

> feats?

>

> Markku Kastinen,

> Steam Enthusiast, Finland

>

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